Author: Tirzah Price

Leigh Bardugo’s Next Book Revealed and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 24, 2020

Sponsored by Skyhunter by Marie Lu, with Fierce Reads.

From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu comes an immersive world where the only hope against overwhelming evil is a team of warriors willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love. The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts. The Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop these monsters. But as the number of Ghosts grows, defeat seems inevitable. Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Hey there, bookish friends! I can’t believe it’s the last week of August already–I know summer isn’t technically over until late September, but it always feels like the end once Labor Day hits–even this year, without the usual structure of outside the house life. I hope you’re enjoying your week and wringing the last bit of summer goodness out of the season. For me, that includes freezing a lot of garden produce and then relaxing in my reading hammock at the park–a safe distance away from others!

We’re heading into fall, which is bursting with new releases and bookish fun, and it seems like the bookish news has gotten a head start on all the fun! There are so many excellent cover reveals and announcements to get to–but first, remember to wear your masks, hydrate often and well, and stay safe out there.

Trivia: What was the name of Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas’s dog?

Deals and Squeals:

Leigh Bardugo has a new fantasy coming in 2021, and it’s the sequel to King of Scars! Get a look at the cover of what Bardugo is calling “the finale for the Grishaverse.”

Emily Henry is the author of Beach Read, one of the year’s biggest romances, and her next rom-com cover, title, and first chapter were revealed! I cannot wait!

Speaking of romance, Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White, and Royal Blue, has a new book and the cover is adorbs!

A new picture book about Kamala Harris is hitting shelves this week!

Disney is releasing a YA novel about Nebula and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, written by Mackenzi Lee.

Marvel is releasing a comic special written by and celebrating Indigenous voices!

The Bloggess is releasing a new book! Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson will release in April 2021!

Kenneth Branagh strikes again as Poirot! Watch the trailer for the adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic, Death on the Nile.

Can someone invent a pill for human longevity ASAP? Because Ocean Vuong is the latest author to submit an original work for the Future Library, to be locked away until year 2114.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Must-Read Book: Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

I inhaled this fantastic novel over the weekend! It’s about Raina and Millie, two very different teen girls who find themselves burned by the same guy and his mock trial team. They decide to get revenge (and pursue their own dreams) by forming an all-girls mock trial team to take on the guys, and they assemble a team of six girls who are angry and fed up with the sexism in their school and lives. This is a really funny, heartfelt, and political read that includes political knitting, yarn bombing, and lots of very excellent arguments. If you need something to give you some political hope moving into this election season, then grab this book!

What I’m Reading This Week:

Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (finally!)

Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper

Mad & Bad: The Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

Trivia answer: Basket

I leave you with a snapshot of my weekend–reading in my hammock with the river in sight! I don’t normally read on my ereader but with so many printing shortages, publishers are turning to digital review copies. It’s not the worst thing in the world! Take me back there, please!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Today In Books

Leigh Bardugo Has a New Book in 2021: Today in Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 23, 2020

Sponsored by Trade Deadline by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn.

All The Details On Leigh Bardugo’s Next Book

EW has broken the news of Leigh Bardugo’s next book, the King of Scars sequel! Rule of Wolves will hit shelves March 2021, and you can view the cover on EW. Bardugo describes it as the “grand finale for the Grishaverse” books. If that makes you sad, then rest assured that you can look forward to the Netflix adaptation of the series at least!

People Want To Support Their Local Bookstores. They Might Be Hurting Them Instead.

Bookstores are hurting, but not the way you think. So many customers have turned to indie bookstores to support small business and to get their book fixes, but when orders are delayed or bookstores have a hard time fulfilling orders in a timely manner (due to demand, and delays caused by COVID), customers cancel or complain–hurting their indies in the long run. Remember to be patient and kind to your local booksellers!

Father-Daughter Duo Opens Library In Chicago With 1,000 Free Books

Here’s a heartwarming story–a father and daughter run Books 4 Cause, an organization founded in 2009 to bring lightly used textbooks to African communities, but now have turned to bringing free books to their Chicago communities. Books 4 Cause has opened one free library already, and plan to utilize empty storefronts throughout the South and West sides of Chicago to reach even more people through free books.

Read This Book

Read This Book: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 20, 2020

Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy.

A dark past. An impossible journey. The will to survive. For fans of Flight Behavior and Station Eleven, a novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world’s last birds―and her own final chance for redemption. Migrations has been named a “most anticipated” book by Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, Elle, and more. Emily St. John Mandel calls this powerful novel “extraordinary.” Start reading Migrations now.

Welcome to Read This Book, a weekly newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!

This week’s pick is one of my favorite books of the summer, and a novel that was actually bumped up because of COVID-19–but that said, if you’re so over pandemic-related media, you might want to skip this one! It’s The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue.

Content warning: Flu epidemic, sickness, difficult childbirth, infant and mother death

Julia Powell is an overworked nurse in the fall of 1918, responsible for a makeshift ward for pregnant women with influenza in a Dublin hospital. Due to staff shortages, she’s the only nurse assigned to this ward and, desperate for an extra set of hands, she requests help. She receives it in the form of Bridie, a young untrained volunteer who is quick to learn and eager to help. Julia and Bridie work together through long days, and their paths sometimes cross with Dr. Lynn, a female physician whose politics Julia might not agree with, but whom she admires for her medical knowledge and sensitivity. The women experience three tumultuous days in the hospital that will change Julia’s life forever.

This is a really intense, but also intensely good read. Julia takes you through a day in her life, and while much of it is explaining the how and why of her daily tasks and caring for people in 1918, you also get a sense for her personality and who she is beyond caretaker and nurse. She’s nearing 30, she would like to be married and have a family, but she’s also proud of her work and she’s uncertain that family life will ever happen for her. She’s a smart woman who loathes that she can’t use her good judgment and know-how to its full extent, and that she must take orders from doctors who don’t see women’s health as important as their own egos. When Julia meets Bridie, she wants to be tough, but the two of them click into a fast friendship when Julia realizes how smart Bridie is. Bridie, for her part, opens Julia’s eyes to injustice and hardship without ever being a token character, and when their respect for one another deepens into an unexpected romance, it just feels right.

I was really intrigued to read about the medical community and how a society reacted to a pandemic one hundred years ago. Like now, it seems like the care of people is often put behind politics–Dr. Lynn is presented as the hardest working and more sensible doctor in the entire hospital, sought after by nurses for her sensitivity and confidence in nurses’ abilities. And yet, many dislike her or would have her arrested because she believes in Irish independence–a view that will certainly cause trouble in this book. I was delighted to learn after reading that Dr. Lynn was a real person, and I found Donoghue’s inclusion and fictionalization of her character interesting.

If you’re up for a hard-hitting, beautifully written book about humanity and care set during the influenza pandemic, this book cannot be beat. Bonus: I read it on audio, narrated by Emma Lowe, and it was a fantastic production.

Happy reading,

Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Book Radar

New Mindy Kaling Essays and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 19, 2020

Sponsored by our Kindle Unlimited 1-year subscription giveaway!

We’re giving away a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited courtesy of Early Bird Books! Early Bird Books brings you free and bargain eBooks that match your interests. You can sign up for free, read the books on any device, and the books are yours to keep. Click to enter!

Happy Thursday, book nerds! I hope the week is treating you kindly and that you’re enjoying a great book or three. We’ve got some great news this week, including cover reveals, lots of new book announcements, and more exciting developments. Read your hearts out, and don’t forget to keep wearing your masks!

Trivia question: How many unique words are in the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham?

Deals and Squeals:

Reese Witherspoon is launching a YA version of her book club, and her first pick is You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson!

Mindy Kaling has a collection of essays coming in October, but there’s a catch: they’re available exclusively on Amazon.

In happy romance news, Courtney Milan has a new book coming out this fall, and Adriana Herrera also announced new books!

New York governor Andrew Cuomo is releasing a book about the COVID response in his state.

Bob Woodward has written another book about Trump.

Look for another book by Rhonda Byrne, bestselling author of The Secret, out later this year.

Ruby Bridges has written a children’s book!

Riot Recommendations

Want to read: Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

Look for this book hitting shelves next month! It’s Mendez’s YA debut, and it follows an Argentinian teen named Camila, who is a dutiful daughter at home, but a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field. She doesn’t tell her family that she plays, because they’d never approve, but when she gets the chance to qualify for an important tournament with her team, which might even lead to a North American college scholarship, Camila is torn between family loyalty and her own dreams and ambitions.

On my radar this week:

Smash It! by Francina Simone

Body Talk edited by Book Riot’s own Kelly Jensen!

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier (that cover!)

Trivia answer: Only 50!

And here’s your cute cat pic of the week–Oliver can be of so adorable when he wants to be, and now that it’s finally cooling off, he’s way more lovey and cuddly!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

The Kids Are All Right

Kidlit Deals for August 19, 2020

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 19, 2020

Andy Weir Has a New Novel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 17, 2020

Sponsored by Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale, with Fierce Reads.

There’s nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie. She was kind of a big deal—but the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading. Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she’s inside it. It’s alarming. But also . . . kind of amazing? It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape. Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?

Happy Monday, book nerds! I hope you spent the weekend reading something amazing. I deep-cleaned my apartment while listening to an audiobook, and while I’d much rather spend the afternoon in a hammock with my book, audiobooks make unpleasant tasks at least a bit more palatable!

I’ve got a lot of exciting deals and fun news so you can start this week off on the right foot. That said, I know it’s a stressful time right now as so many decide whether or not to send kids back to school (or maybe the decision was forced upon you), so I hope you’re taking care of yourselves, wearing your masks, and remembering to hydrate!

Trivia time: Which bestselling YA fantasy writer posted an early version of her debut series on the Internet for free, years before publication?

Deals and Squeals:

Andy Weir has a new novel coming out next year! Look for Project Hail Mary, a deep space adventure, coming May 4, 2021!

Fonda Lee’s The Jade City is going to be adapted to TV!

Classic books previously published under male pseudonyms are being released under their authors’ real (female) names. While the move seems like a step to reclaim women’s voices, it’s important to note that none of these writers have had a say in this change, and for all we know, some of them might not have identified as female.

Roxane Gay’s comic series The Banks is being adapted into a movie and Gay is writing the screenplay!

Midnight Sun sold a million copies its first week, and Stephenie Meyer has two more Twilight novels planned.

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba is coming to Netflix! The book won’t be available in the U.S. until 2022, but look for it in the UK next year.

AppleTV has ordered an animated series of Harriet the Spy from the Jim Henson Company!

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus is being made into a Peacock TV series!

The trailer for Unpregnant (based on the YA novel by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan) has landed! The film will stream on HBOMax in September!

Spooky season is upon us, which is why it’s awesome that the adaptation of The Devil All the Time now has a trailer, and it looks amazing. It’ll premiere on Netflix next month!

Riot Recommendations

Reading Recommendation: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I know I highlighted this book a few weeks back as my want-to-read pick but I finished it last week and oh my gosh, I have to tell you how much I loved it and how it’s one of my favorite books of 2020! Cara is a traverser of the multiverse in a future where a brilliant inventor and his company control all multiverse travel. You can only travel to worlds where your counterpart is dead, which is no problem for Cara–she’s had a rough life and most of her counterparts in other worlds haven’t survived. But when she’s sent to a new world where her other self has recently been murdered, Cara realizes that she’s a pawn in the middle of a vast conspiracy–and she has to decide if she wants to stay complicit, or fight back, even if it means death. THIS BOOK! The plotting is tight and relentlessly unexpected, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming and developments I could sense but when they finally showed up, I was swept away by how clever they were. The world-building (worlds-building?) here was also really excellent, and you can see clear parallels to our own times where billionaires profit off the backs of people of color who live in extreme poverty. Oh, and it has a slow-burn will-they-or-won’t-they queer romance–enough said! I can’t recommend it enough!

What I plan on reading this week:

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan (it’s been on my shelf for forever!)

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Trivia answer: Sarah J. Maas

That’s it for now! I leave you with a photo of tiny, sweet peaches I stole off my parents’ peach tree. I hope that you’re grasping onto whatever goodness you can find in these last days of summer!

Happy reading,

Tirzah

Today In Books

Library Books Get Quarantined, Too: Today in Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 16, 2020

Sponsored by Traitor by Amanda McCrina with Fierce Reads

Still Waiting For A Library Book? It Might Be In A Coronavirus Quarantine

If you’ve felt like your library holds are taking forever to come in, or your library hasn’t been especially speedy about checking in your returned materials, there’s a good reason for that: Library materials are getting quarantined. The Sacramento Public Library is quarantining their returned materials for four days in their unused community rooms, and the ALA is recommending that all libraries similarly put materials that are returned into some sort of two-four day isolation period before letting them be checked out again or putting them back on shelves.

Library Supporters Urge Action As Senate Recesses Without Relief Bill

Like a lot of people and entities, libraries are struggling right now. Many are reliant on local government funding that may be cut or reallocated to other departments thanks to COVID-19, even as libraries are increasingly expected to offer essential services for people who are suddenly in need. The Senate adjourned for the month without reaching an agreement on a bailout package that would help libraries, among many others. The ALA is calling on library users to contact their federal representatives to ask them to fund libraries.

Michael Cohen Discusses New Book About Trump

Michael Cohen has been allowed to proceed with his tell-all about Trump, and has revealed a cover and a foreword that hints at the contents. In it, Cohen promises to reveal back-door dealings with Russia, details of infidelity, and other egregious behaviors. Cohen came under federal investigation in recent years for his dealings as Trump’s personal lawyer. He says the book is available for preorder, and it will be released sometime before the November election.

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 14, 2020

Sponsored by The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg, published by Abrams Press.

At age 36, while serving on a jury, author Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but something inside her had changed irredeemably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we’d like to believe. The Fixed Stars is a memoir exploring questions about desire, identity, and family in honest and searing prose, from the bestselling author of Delancey and A Homemade Life.

Happy Tuesday and welcome to new book day, aka the best day of the week. I admit, I totally have been dreaming of a t-shirt that says, “On Tuesdays, we go to the bookstore,” a la Mean Girls, and if someone makes that happen, I would buy one in every color.

Some books I’m excited about this week include Body Talk, edited by Book Riot Editor Kelly Jensen and containing some essays from fellow Rioters Eric Smith and Patricia Elzie-Tuttle, Betty by Veronica McDonald, and Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho. Make sure you check out today’s episode of All the Books, where Liberty and I chat about tons of new releases this week!

The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

This is a post-World War II book about a married couple who have found that their respective war years have done a number on their marriage, for a variety of reasons. Diana Somerville’s expertise in London architecture and her work as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park separated her from her husband, and thanks to the Official Secrets Act, she can’t tell Brent, a professor as Kings College, about her war years. Brent is dealing with his own trauma from working as a stretcher bearer in the war, and he’s frustrated at Diana’s obvious lies and evasion. If the two are going to save their marriage, they must find a way to rebuild trust and their lives.

Dating Makes Perfect by Pintip Dunn

Winnie is a high schooler whose very strict Thai parents never let her older sisters date before graduation–but when those sisters turn the tables on their parents and refuse to entertain getting engaged for a long time, her parents come up with a fake dating scenario for Winnie to “practice” dating, all in the hopes that she’ll be more likely to find a husband quickly after graduation. Winnie isn’t pleased at the meddling–and she’s even more annoyed when the guy her parents pick for her to practice being in a relationship with is none other than her arch nemesis, Mat Songsomboon.

Stealing Mt. Rushmore by Daphne Kalmar

Nellie is a thirteen-year-old with some big shoes to fill. First off, she’s the only girl in a family of three boys, and she knows her dad is disappointed that he wasn’t able to have four sons named after the presidents on Mt. Rushmore. Second, her mom has left the family without a word, and as the girl, Nellie is expected to cook, clean, and take care of her little brother. But when financial problems put a strain on the family, Nellie is determined to figure out a way to help the family stay afloat, and bring them together–even if it is unfair that she’s the one everyone relies on. This is a great nostalgic book about the 1970s and a family in crisis against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Read This Book

Read This Book: Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 13, 2020

Sponsored by A HOUSE IS A BODY: STORIES Shruti Swamy, available now from Algonquin Books.

Dreams collide with reality, modernity with antiquity, and myth with identity in the twelve arresting stories of A House Is a Body. In “Earthly Pleasures,” a young painter living alone in San Francisco begins a secret romance with one of India’s biggest celebrities— the Hindu god Krishna— and desire and ego are laid bare. And in the title story, an exhausted mother watches, hypnotized by fear, as a California wildfire approaches her home. Set in the United States and India, they reveal small but intense moments of beauty, pain, and power that contain the world.

This week’s pick is a classic with a killer twist–Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye.

Content warning: murder, violence, attempted sexual assault

The quick pitch of this book is Jane Eyre, but Jane is an accidental serial killer. If that doesn’t hook you…well, keep reading.

While this is not a direct retelling, the titular character Jane Steele has a life that looks remarkably like Jane Eyre’s. She grows up on her family estate, under the reign of her vindictive aunt. When Jane’s awful cousin attempts to hurt her, she accidentally causes his death and lies about it. She’s sent to school where she makes a true friend, but when the cruel headmaster gets to be too much, Jane again commits murder to protect herself and her friend. From there, they flee to London and eke out a living the best they can, until news of Jane’s aunt’s death reaches her and she returns home under the guise of a governess in order to meet the new master of her home, Mr. Thornfield, who is not at all who he appears at first. But then again, neither is Jane.

If you’re a fan of super smart writing and sly, deadly humor, then this book is absolutely for you. As a Jane Eyre fan (it’s my problematic fave), I appreciate the clever parallels to the classic and Jane Steele’s awareness of her own life choices and how they’re perceived (she is inspired to write her confessions after reading a copy of Jane Eyre). I also loved that this retelling showed readers a wider view of life in Victorian England, particularly what it was like to be a poor woman alone in London who didn’t want to turn to prostitution, and it also provided some diversity in race and religion that was definitely present during this time period, but not reflected in classic literature.

I also am always impressed with a novel that stars a sympathetic antihero who you genuinely want to see get away with their crimes. Jane is followed throughout the story by a dogged detective who hovers in the background but always seems on the verge of discovering her, which amps up the stakes nicely, and makes for an exciting climax. If you want an unapologetically murderous book that stars a resourceful young woman always operating on the edge of the law with a dark sense of humor, then this is a must-read!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Book Radar

We’re Getting a MEXICAN GOTHIC Limited Series and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 12, 2020

Sponsored by A HOUSE IS A BODY: STORIES Shruti Swamy, available now from Algonquin Books.

Hellooooo book nerds! Happy Thursday! I am excited to share more fun bookish news and excitement of the week, but first, how’re you? Are you reading something great? I’ve been immersed in a book I love, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, and it’s one of those “I wanna ignore my day job and read all day!” books! I love those, but also, they make the work week hard. #booknerdproblems

Let’s dive into the excitement, shall we?

Trivia: What year was the book 1984 published?

Deals and Squeals:

We’re getting a Mexican Gothic limited run series! The series will run at Hulu and is being adapted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, and I am so excited to be terrified by this adaptation!

The Roommate by Rosie Danon isn’t even out in the U.S. yet but it’s already been optioned for film! The book stars two unlikely roommates whose feminist start up could disrupt the adult film industry, and it looks steamy!

Preview Weird Al’s new book, and some of the photos included!

If you grew up with Love You Forever by Robert Munsch but thought that some parts were a little creepy, then rest easy knowing that a writer has revised the book to model appropriate boundaries.

John Legend and Nic Long are adapting Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor into a TV show for ABC!

EW reveals the cover of John Densmore’s new book, The Seekers: Meetings with Remarkable Musicians.

Well, this link has quite a headline, but…if you liked Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, particularly if you were intrigued by the sex scenes, then check out Sittenfeld’s new short story.

Riot Recommendations

Want to Read: The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg

This book has been on my radar for a while, and I promise I’m finally going to get to it! It’s about a double murder of two young women hitchhiking to a music festival in West Virginia in 1980, and how the author moved to the area and began investigating the case–and observed the impact of the case on the small town she lived in. I’ve heard nothing by amazing things about this book, especially in how sensitively the writer talks about Appalachia and the women who were murdered, so I can’t wait to finally read it.

Books I Acquired This Week:

Mad & Bad: The Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant (this one is out early next year and I am so excited!)

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney (just downloaded an advance audio copy–I loved Cooney’s books when I was in middle school!)

Trivia answer: 1949

I hope you’re well stocked for weekend reading ahead! I leave you with this photo of my cat Oliver, whose favorite perch is in this window, so he can watch over my container garden–and the squirrels that run across the neighbor’s privacy fence.

Happy reading!
Tirzah